Prospective Students

Curriculum

During the freshman year, honors students take two year-long interdisciplinary courses: Great Books and Ideas and Twentieth Century/Contemporary Civilization.

Great Books and Ideas (HONP 100 and HONP 101) focuses on the writing of seminal thinkers from antiquity to the modern era. Twentieth Century/Contemporary Civilization (HONP 102 and HONP 103) concentrates on profound ideas and issues of our own time.

Throughout the undergraduate experience, the Honors Program emphasizes interdisciplinary studies in the belief that new insights and understanding are gained outside the artificial boundaries imposed by discrete subject areas. This approach creates a climate that fosters creativity and original thinking.

In the sophomore year, Honors studies may include seminars in Science, the Creative Process, or Fractals and Infinity.

Juniors prepare for advanced work in their majors as they immerse themselves in courses centered on ways of knowing and modes of inquiry.

Required Course Details

Honors Sequence: Minimum eight courses

A. Required Honors Courses

Freshman Year:

Honors Seminar in Great Books and Ideas Parts I and II
(HONP 100, HONP 101) Fulfills the C1 and C2 general education requirements in writing and literature – six semester hours

Honors Seminar in Twentieth Century Civilization
(HONP 102) Fulfills the K1 general education requirement in Social Science – three semester hours

Honors Seminar in Ways of Knowing
(HONP 301) Fulfills the general education requirement F2 for Philosophy/Religion – three semester hours

Honors Seminar in Research Methods
(HONP 302) Designed to support departmental honors work – three semester hours

Application Information

Montclair State University Honors Program students take part in an intellectually stimulating, interactive educational experience which provides them with the rich and challenging educational preparation they need to become social and professional leaders. Interested students must meet two of the following criteria to be considered for this program:

Rank in the top 10% of your high school class

Combined SAT score of at least 1250 (Critical Reading and Math)

Extraordinary ability in the creative arts, exceptional commitment to leadership, or other similarly unique accomplishments

Completion of at least two AP courses and a score of 3 or better on final AP exams.

Those who qualify for consideration will be asked to complete an application that includes a brief essay and recommendations. (Students may use the recommendations they have used for their original MSU application, but they’ll need to send them again to the Honors Program.) In addition, students who feel they meet the above qualifications are invited to apply on their own initiative.

The Honors Program at Montclair State University offers many benefits and advantages. Some are financial, while others involve recognition and privilege. But perhaps the most rewarding aspect of all is the experience of working and studying alongside superb faculty and students who share your own commitment to learning. The intellectual stimulation, along with opportunities for accomplishment, can set you on the road to a lifetime of achievement.

Benefits

In addition to financial aid opportunities, MSU provides Honors students with a gallery of other benefits, including (but not limited to) these:

Priority registration for all courses, Honors and otherwise

Personalized academic advisement by the director of the Honors Program

Membership in the MSU Honors Student Organization, with a newsletter and special extra-curricular activities

Collective membership in the Northeast Regional and National Collegiate Honors Councils

Attendance at Honors Council Conferences and Sleeping Bag Seminars, with partial expenses paid by the University

Scholarships

In recognition of their achievements and promise, Honors Program students are eligible for generous scholarship opportunities, and new ones are being added all the time. Here is just a partial listing:

Each year dozens of students receive Honors Program scholarships from the John and Irma Sheffman Scholarship Fund, the Mary A. Whaley Memorial Scholarship Fund, the Wilkins Foundation Scholarship Fund, the Vivian and Heinz Rosenbush Memorial Scholarship Fund, and others, ranging from $750 per year to full tuition and fees.

All students receive a book stipend for each Honors class they take.

Special Programs

Many students combine participation in the Honors Program with involvement in other pre-professional programs. For example, MSU students who fulfill undergraduate requirements for one of its articulated programs with the University of Medicine and Dentistry gain automatic acceptance at UMDNJ without further application or testing. There they study toward their MD or DMD degrees. Some students even participate in a combined, accelerated program that can result in the granting of medical degrees after only seven years. Many honors students will also be MSU Presidential Scholars.

Others, participating simultaneously in the Honors Program and the Health Careers Program (designed for students who have been previously constrained by economic or social factors) may be granted a medical degree after eight years.

To apply for consideration for either the seven or eight-year cooperative programs with UMDNJ, simply check the appropriate box on the Montclair State University admissions application. The deadline for applying to these programs is December 15.